Singapore—Minutes after Dr Tan Cheng Bock invited Singaporeans to the launch of his new political party, Progress Singapore Party, tickets on Eventbrite to not only one but two sessions scheduled for August 3 were sold out.
On Friday morning, Dr Tan issued the invitation on his Facebook page, writing:
“An invitation to the PSP Official Launch
Dear fellow Singaporeans,
My team and I are pleased to announce that we will be launching our party on 3rd August (Sat). We invite you to attend our launch but *please do register your attendance as places are limited*. Attendance is STRICTLY by TICKETS.
The launch is at the Hotel Swissotel Merchant Court Ballroom. There will be one session in the morning (9am-12pm) and another in the afternoon (130pm-430pm) so that we can accommodate more people. Each session only has a capacity of 500 so please register at the links below for either the morning session or the afternoon session.
Morning Session (9am-12pm)
https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/progress-singapore-party-launch…
Afternoon Session (130-430pm)
https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/progress-singapore-party-launch…
Finally, we are pleased to update that the police have said no permit is required for the launch. Also, the Infocomm Media Development Authority has approved the video to be screened. We look forward to seeing you there.”
While the sales of the tickets are not scheduled to end until August 3 itself, there were no more tickets to be had in a short amount of time. However, people can still get their names on a waiting list if they are interested in attending the event.
In its write up, organizers encouraged people who had availed of the free tickets to give them up if they cannot attend, since the capacity of the venue is limited.
“Singaporeans are welcome to attend this event where we will introduce the Party and the people behind the Party. Party Founder and Sec-Gen/ Dr Tan Cheng Bock and some other CEC members will be speaking. Dr Tan will share his thoughts on how the Party can contribute towards a better Singapore for our future generations.
…Together, we shall make a breakthrough for the Progress of our beloved Singapore.”
Earlier this year, Dr Tan announced his return to the political arena in a Facebook post, saying that along with 11 other Singaporeans, he filed an application with the Registry of Societies for a new political party named the Progress Singapore Party on January 16.
In the post wherein he explained his motives for returning to politics, he said that he has had the opportunity to speak to Singaporeans “from all walks of life.” Hearing their concerns and fears, and feeling their pains, he wrote that he “felt a sense of duty to come forward and represent them in Parliament,” hence the choice to form the Progress Singapore Party “to add another voice in Parliament,” and “an alternative voice in Parliament.”
He was also transparent about the difficulty they had in making this choice and that he and his co-founders discuss different options such as joining or taking over an existing opposition party, running as an independent, and others.
Last month, Dr Tan announced in another Facebook post that the launch of PSP, which had been scheduled for June 15, had been postponed due to a difficulty in getting permits./ TISG
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